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Team USA Sweeps Nicaragua at the Beach |
Jonah Nickerson out of Oregon State, recorded eight strikeouts in six innings of two-hit, scoreless ball in the season-closing game against Nicaragua. |
Jonah Nickerson (Oregon State, So., Oregon City, Ore.) and Kevin Gunderson (Oregon State, So., Portland, Ore.) turned in solid starts as the USA Baseball National Team concluded its 2005 tour with a pair of wins on Wednesday night, August 4, 2005, against Nicaragua at Coastal Federal Field. USA won the first game 1-0 and took the nightcap 5-2.
Team USA ends the 2005 season on an 11-game winning streak, sweeping Nicaragua in six games. National Team pitchers enjoyed a streak of 25.2 consecutive scoreless innings over the tour’s final four games; the streak ended with Nicaragua’s two-spot in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s second game.
In game one, Team USA scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to win the seven-inning affair 1-0. With one out and Drew Stubbs ( Texas, So., Atlanta, Texas) at second, Jon Jay (Miami-FL, So., Miami, FL) hit a grounder to second baseman Jimmy Gonzalez, who tried to get Stubbs at third. However, Gonzalez’ throw got away, allowing Stubbs to score the game’s lone run.
Nickerson struck out eight against two walks and two hits allowed over 6.0 innings for the victory. Mark Melancon ( Arizona, So., Golden, Colo.) notched his fourth save of the tour, pitching a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout.
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Team USA ended its 2005 season with a record of 16-4. Before coming to Myrtle Beach, the team won three straight games against Nicaragua in Durham. Team USA also played three addition games at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park earlier in July, winning all three against Italy.
Team USA, the national governing body for amateur baseball in America, has been permanently headquartered at the DBAP since the winter of 2003.
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In game two, Team USA plated two runs in the third and added three more in the fifth. The National Team scored a run on a throwing error and another on a wild pitch in the second. In the fifth, Shane Robinson ( Florida State, So., Tampa, FL) led off with a double and later scored on a wild pitch. Jay added an RBI single in the inning, and J.P. Arencibia capped the scoring in the fifth with a sacrifice fly.
Nicaragua finally got on the board in the eighth, scoring a run on a bases loaded Jenrry Roa sacrifice fly followed by a Norman Cardoze RBI single. Team USA answered with a three-spot in the top of the ninth to put the game away.
Gunderson scattered six hits with two strikeouts and no walks over 6.0 innings to earn the victory. Melancon recorded the game’s final six outs to notch his second save of the day and end the tour with five.
Thanks to MBBC’s Ryan Ibbotson for this capcom story & photo .
